Bisphosphonates negatively affect dental implants

Bisphosphonates proven to have a negative affect on dental implants, a new study has shown.

Often used by postmenopausal women who suffer from osteoporosis, which results in loss of bone mass and strength, bisphosphonates help to slow or prevent bone loss.

However, the use of bisphosphonate therapy in terms of successful dental implants has not been well documented until now.

Bisphosphonate therapy results

The study, carried out by researchers from the Kanagawa Dental University Hospital and the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, looked at 25 female patients over the age of 60, with a previous osteoporosis diagnosis, and who underwent dental implant surgery in the mandible.

It found that the 11 patients who had used bisphosphonates, with a total of 25 implants had three (11.1%) of their implants fail in three (25%) different patients within a year of their treatment.

However, with the rest of the patients who were not using bisphosphonates, every implant survived.

‘These results indicate that BPs affect the quality and quantity of the cortical bone in the partially edentulous posterior mandible of patients with osteoporosis, which should be considered prior to treatment with dental implants in patients taking BPs,’ the researchers said.

Researchers concluded that bisphosphonate therapy does impact the mandible and clinicians should be careful when considering placing implants if the patient is receiving bisphosphonate therapy.